Who Needs A Club Lounge When Your Hotel Has Its Own Mini Library?

Wandering around Gamboa Rainforest Resort in Panama recently, we were excited to discover the hotel had its own private library, accessible via a small staircase leading up from the lobby.

Which is, in many ways, far superior to the usual "VIP" club lounge experience. For starters, all guests are welcome, it's always quiet and peaceful, and you can actually educate yourself about your surroundings with bookshelves full of texts on Panamanian history and wildlife. Plus, it kind of reminded us of the library scene from Beauty and the Beast—except way smaller. And in the middle of a rainforest.

Once inside, we were immediately calmed by the smooth hard-wood floors, deep leather armchairs and wide half-moon windows overlooking the rest of the lobby. Though the rest of our group was waiting for us outside, we couldn't help but plonk down next to the chessboard and just have a little imaginary game for a minute or two.

As we mentioned, the library is enclosed in its own room slightly above the lobby, and it manages to completely shut out any of the noise from below. No fancy coffee machines or anything, but sometimes, it's just good to read a book and relax.